To Kill An Immortal
by Salunatic
Summary: An assassin turns against her warlord after he decides to sacrifice her for another step towards immortality. Will she be able to escape in time? Would Po and his gang stop the warlord when he threatens to be the next destroyer of China? In the midst of everything, will Tigress be able to protect her "property"? Or would she have to sacrifice her love for the future of China?
1. Chapter 1

_Hi all, first and foremost, this is the first time I'm writing, so I do apologize if it isn't up to standard. A word of warning though, this is pretty graphic from comments I've gathered so far. _

_You have been warned._

_I would like to thank the following people for encouraging me to do this:_

_M4dG4rl: Thanks for being the first to encourage me to write my own stories._

_Lionstar09: Your comments was what made me believe its possible._

_DATsubasa: You're the best friend ever._

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Dreamworks does. The characters you see in this chapter here are mine though =D

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A lone black panther woke from her slumber with a sudden jolt. She opened her eyes and briefly glanced around her, wondering why on earth was she in such a position. _Did I fell asleep standing again?_ Feeling a slight ache in her shoulders, she decided to stretch to relieve the soreness. It was only then when she realized that she couldn't move her arms. She searched for the cause of the constriction and what she saw instantly snapped her awake.

She was bound to the ceiling, an arm on each side, chained by a complicated looking shackle. Her arms were chained at just the right height to keep her standing in an upright position and her legs were bound to the floor to prevent her from reaching the wrist shackles with her foot paws. _No wonder I was asleep standing_, she thought grimly.

She tried to pull her wrist out of the shackle, only to freeze from the pain. The shackle had tightened itself around her wrists, piercing almost a dozen steel needles into her wrists. She clenched her jaws and held her breath for almost a minute, only to sigh in relief as needles retracted, allowing the pain to subside a little. She winced slightly when she saw the many lines of fresh blood ooze out from the punctured wounds on her wrists.

Deciding to ignore her wounds for a moment, she looked around her surroundings with more effort this time. She was facing the end of what looked like a dark and dank cave. The floor was rough and damp. There were numerous dark patches on the floor. A foul stench filled the air, like meat gone bad. The walls around her glittered slightly from the inconsistent light cast by a flickering flame in front of her.

Taking in all these, she still had no idea how she had gotten herself into such a predicament, how many days had passed since she was bound, and most importantly, how to get out of the situation she was in. The same thoughts kept her occupied for quite some time till she lost consciousness again.

She woke up again an hour later to a grinding noise behind her. Whomever it was was grinding something large judging by the amount of sound and sparks that it was producing. She tried to move slightly to try to ease the persistent ache in her lower back that was the result of standing in such a position for so long. It wasn't really productive though as all it achieved was to shift the ache to another part of her slender, but now haggard body.

Apparently her movements had attracted the attention of the person behind her as the grinding stopped and the clunk of metal was heard. Her sensitive nose twitched slightly as she tried to discern its scent through the stench that was present in the cave itself. It took a couple of minutes, but she got it in the end. _Male_, she thought. _Definitely someone large._ She pondered for a moment, but her proud nature took over her thoughts. _Well, I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me in fear. I'm not going to turn around to look at him. If he wants to see me, he has to come in front of me._ With this, she continued staring defiantly into the darkness in front of her.

She jumped slightly when the guy behind her picked up her tail and started playing with it. She tried to pull it out of his grasp, but he tightened his grip at the tip of the tail and started caressing it up and down its furry length. She felt her fur standing as the teasing on her appendage sent shiver after shiver down her spine. Apparently the person behind her knew his technique was working as he slowed down his actions and became gentler with her tail, working closer and closer to her hindquarters. When he touched the sensitive skin between her tail and puckered anus, she shuddered involuntarily and tried to growl, but all that came out was an indistinguishable mixture between a moan, a growl, and a purr.

Bewildered by the different feelings and thoughts she was experiencing, she was unprepared when the person behind landed a strong blow to her left kidney. Her knees buckled and she arched her back in pain. She would have crumpled on the floor had she not been chained up by the shackles. Therefore she hung from the shackles as she clenched her teeth and wheezed in pain for almost five minutes before recovering enough to stand on her own again.

With the stress of holding up her body, the shackles came alive once more and started piercing the blood smeared needles deeper into her wrist. Almost an inch of each needle was embedded into her wrist, taking the pain to another level as the needles prodded and pressed itself onto her bone. Every movement she made tore at the wounds, causing her wrist to bleed profusely. She looked up when she felt her torturer trail a finger along her wrist, drawing a line on her now blood matted fur.

Her torturer was a large rhino with a 14 inch, armor plated horn. He had a dark grey leather hide and large dull black claws. His body was very well toned with well defined muscles from top to toe and he stared out at the world with blood red eyes that seemed to glow eerily even in the light. He wore a thin but sturdy, triple layered silk battle robe. The middle layer was a metal chainmail, allowing the battle robe to be light, yet tough and sturdy. Standing at almost 2.7 meters tall, and weighing almost 4,000 kilos, he wasn't someone to be taken lightly, both figuratively and literally. She gasped when she realized who he was.

"My… My Lord?"

He neither replied nor responded to her acknowledgement, but licked the blood from his finger and walked toward the source of light before her. He knelt down beside the fire and added more logs to it, increasing its strength and ferocity.

With the place now being bathed with light, she turned around to look at her surroundings once more. She realised with horror that what she was in wasn't just a prison cell, but an interrogation cum torture chamber as well. The entrance behind her was a solid metal door that would block off all screams from the outside. On her left was what looked like a used surgical table. There were large amounts of blood stains on its surface and the floor around it. Hung on the wall beside the table were a number of whips which had polished metal hooks attached to the receiving end of its length.

What made her stare in horror however, was the wall in front of her. She had initially thought it glittered due to the reflection of its uneven surface, but in the now brightly lit room, she saw that it was filled with row after row of neatly arranged torture instruments. She recognised many of the items, having personally used them before. They ranged from surgical knives to hooked blades to a number of metal framed equipments. The familiarity to these items was more than enough to make her go weak in the knees with fear, knowing that she'll soon be on the receiving end of some them.

As she continued to look through the equipment, the rhino stood up to face her with a cruel smile. He walked towards her and aimed another punch, this time at her chest. The force of it cracked several ribs and nearly crushed her lungs. She wheezed in pain for the second time and gasp desperately for air as her lungs tried to re-inflate after the impact.

The rhino leant against the side of the wall and faced her.

"Tell me Cui Yan, why is Tang Zen still alive?"

When she recovered enough to speak, she replied in a raspy voice.

"Because he didn't deserve to die."

"Well, that isn't your decision to make isn't it?" he replied casually.

"I know, but he's an upright citizen."

"He was, until he decided to go against me."

She stayed silent, deciding to save her energy to keep herself upright and from collapsing rather than reply him. She was hurting enough all over and did not want to give the shackles more chances to impale her wrists even further.

The rhino frowned at her for almost a minute before seemingly making a decision. He ripped off her tattered midnight blue tunic and black silk pants followed by her chest wrappings and undergarment, leaving her completely in her own fur. He then shrugged off his armoured robe and hung it on a hook on the ceiling, leaving him in just a plain white silk tunic.

Her eyes widen in shock and her fur stood in fear as she realised what he had done and was intending to do. Her panic escaladed further when he took a polished surgical knife from the wall and walked around her. He continued twirling the knife while circling and observing her from all angles. He took in her well toned figure, her silky jet black fur, her dense and compact muscles on her arms and thighs, her lean stomach, her jade green irises, her razor sharp claws and her now bleeding wrists and ankles.

She felt him close in behind her and braced herself. She squirmed and whimpered slightly when he wrapped an arm around her waist almost lovingly from behind, raking the fur on her sensitive belly with his dull but sharp claws. He gently slash down her mid flank repeatedly, eliciting a soft cry of pain from her muzzle. She then gasped when he pressed the surgical knife between her shoulder blades and dragged it down her back, trailing her spine and stopping just right above her tail. The slash was deep, not to mention painful, but thankfully not fatal. Letting her bleed from the wound, he put on a work robe before returning to the wall to retrieve another piece of equipment.

A look of recognition appeared in her eyes when she saw what he picked. It was a two piece metal clamp which would crush a victim's paws when tightened. She growled at him and balled up her fists when he approached, preventing him from fitting her paw into the clamp.

"I see you remember what this does, but remembering won't save you or anything. Now open your paws." He commanded.

She kept her paws clenched, ignoring whatever he just said.

"This is my final warning, I'll do it with or without your co-operation." He warned her.

She looked straight into his blood red eyes and stared at him defiantly.

He shook his head and stomped on her right foot paw, holding back slightly at the last moment to avoid completely destroying it. The impact broke and splintered the bones on her foot, causing her to shriek in mind numbing pain as she struggled to pull her leg out from under his feet. She clenched her jaws and hissed slightly as she rode out the wave after wave of throbbing pain now radiating from her broken foot paw. He removed his leg from hers and stood back to watch her. Despite the pain, she continued clenching her paws, thwarting him of his plans.

"We'll do this the hard way then." The rhino muttered.

He put down the clamp and picked up the whips from the corner. One on each hand, he starting whipping her continuously and mercilessly. She cried out every time the whip came in contact with her back, her body jerking in pain as the hooked whip tore and clawed at her back. Soon the entire room was filled with the sound of cries and whipping.

Ten minutes later, the black panther struggled to stand on her remaining leg as the amount of pain from her back threatened to overwhelmed her. Her once smooth back was now a huge lattice of ripped flesh and fresh blood. In certain areas, the wounds were almost two inch deep and up to four inches wide. The metal hooks were no longer polished. They were now covered in blood with bits of skin and flesh stuck on them. Blood flowed freely from her back, turning her surrounding black fur a dark crimson. She panted hard from the exertion, her strength almost depleted as she hung limply from the shackles. She no longer felt the needles in her wrist as the pain paled in comparison to what her back had endured.

Immersed in her own world of pain, she was unaware of her surroundings. She looked up when she felt her right paw slide into something cold and hard. She continued staring blankly at whatever was being done, not registering that the rhino had just slid her paw between two metal plates and with a slight 'click', attached the clamp to her shackles. With a sudden jolt of fear, she struggled desperately to extract her paw out of the clamp. After a minute of struggling and realising that her efforts were in vain, she tried her last and final attempt to persuade her former lord to change his mind.

"Please, My Lord, Please..." She pleaded desperately as she continued her fruitless attempts to pull out of the clamp, not caring that with each tug, the needles from the shackles grazed even deeper into her bones.

He turned to look at her dispassionately.

"You've had your chance to repent earlier, there's no turning back now."

Without warning, he snapped the ends of the clamp shut. Save for the edge of her finger tips, her entire paw was encased between the two metal plates. She let out a blood curling scream as her paw was slightly dislocated from her wrist and was crushed into a space almost half the size of her paw itself. Blood dripped from every join and crevice of the clamp as sharp metal studs on the inner surface of the metal plates pierced deep into her soft paw pads. The compression of the clamp on her finger tips had also caused her black razor sharp claws to be forcibly unsheathed.

After almost five minutes of intense screaming, she was out of energy and was reduced to sobbing weakly from the pain. _Please, let it stop, I can't go on anymore. Please... _She thought as tears, sweat and grime cascaded down her face. She was physically and emotionally drained. Her surroundings swam in and out of focus as she tried desperately to hang on to consciousness.

A soft clinking sound snapped her back to reality. She raised her head up weakly to see her former lord pick up a pair of tongs used by blacksmiths. He gave her a demonic grin and casually open and close the tongs. It gleamed menacingly as he brought it closer and closer to her claws.

"No... Please... I'll do anything... Please..."

"I warned you before Cui Yan. The next time I have to punish you, it'll be declawing."

"Please..."

He ignored her and gripped her thumb claw with the tongs. With an abrupt pull, he ripped her claw out of the finger. Her screams echoed in the chamber once more as the rhino continued with the remaining four claws, each declawing resulting with a bleeding stump on the finger tip. When he was done, he put the tongs aside and resumed with tightening the clamp further, stopping only when he felt her bones finally crack within the metal plates.

Standing back, he wiped his hands and claws on a rag as he surveyed her from head to toe. She was a sodden and bleeding wreck. From her right finger tips and paws to her mutilated back to the shackles on her wrists and ankles, every bleeding wound only assisted in coating her black fur with a layer of crimson. Her legs were unable to support her body and she was wheezing and gasping for breath every now and then. Tears poured from her jade green irises as she hung limp from the shackles.

Deciding that he was tired of playing with her, he back handed her across the face, snapping her head in the other direction, knocking her senseless for a moment. Before giving her time to recover from the latest blow, he kneed her sharply in the stomach. She managed a strangled cry before the culmination of pain finally overwhelmed her. She didn't have the strength left to fight, finally succumbing to the welcoming darkness that brought everything away with it.

The rhino changed back into his battle robe and walked out of the room to the see the prison warden waiting outside for him. He was an axe wielding gruff boar with limited fighting skills, but with large amount of brute strength to accomplish whatever that was required of him.

"Did you carry out my instructions earlier?" he questioned the warden.

"Yes my lord, the physician should be arriving any moment now. Ah, there he is." The boar replied as he gestured to an approaching deer in a white lab robe.

"What are your orders sir?" the deer asked when he approached the pair.

"Take a look at her." The rhino pointed into the room. "Your only job is to make sure she doesn't die. Let her suffer from her wounds and injuries, but I want her alive. If she dies, you'll be next"

"I understand sir" was the only reply the warlord heard as he walked out of the prison.

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As I said earlier, this is the very first time I'm writing my own stories. Please review and tell me what you think. I take any kind of criticism no matter how blunt it is as long as its constructive. One lined reviews are welcomed too.

Po and the rest of the gang will enter the story roughly chapters 3 to 4, so do stay tuned.

-Salunatic


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi all, I'm back. _

_Thanks again to those who have been helping me, giving me support and encouragement even as I restlessly bug you all for comments and opinions._

_I'd like to thank in particular, the few following people:_

_M4dG4rl: You're the reason I started writing, how can I ever thank you?_

_DATsubasa: Just for being the wonderful friend you are._

_KrazyKiller89: Being my daily sounding board, I thank you for your opinions._

_And those who reviewed: Thanks for taking the time to do it. I really appreciate it._

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Dreamworks does. The characters you see in this chapter here are mine though =D

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In Bai Chao Province, legions have unrestricted access to anywhere, answers only to the lord, and are basically the highest ranking individual beside the lord himself. They protect the province from thieves and bandits, but are also sadists as they do from time to time antagonize and bully the citizens purely for entertainment sake. Recognizing one of the legions approaching, the citizens parted silently to make way for her. She sprinted through the busy market square on all fours, weapons clinking as she made her way towards the lord's fortress.

The said legion was easily noticed as she was a species that was relatively rare in China. A jet black panther, she wore a form fitting short sleeved midnight blue tunic and silk black training pants which hid her dense and compact muscles on her arms and thighs, but emphasized her lithe and slight hourglass figure. Her utility belt sheathed dual ten inch curved daggers, numerous throwing knives and a number of smoke and sleeping gas bombs.

However, it wasn't just her appearance that made her easily recognizable. She used to be well liked and respected by the citizens of the province. Despite being cool and aloof, she was usually helpful when approached by the citizens. Furthermore, unlike the other legions, she neither harass nor bully, being harsh only on the criminals who disrupt the peace of the province. Everything changed though, after her two most recent missions in which her targets were actually upright citizens who had rubbed her lord the wrong way. Now they fear and avoid her, making her feel as if she was being betrayed by the citizens she had risked her life to protect.

The guards at the entrance of the fortress stood aside to allow her entry as they saw her sprinting towards them. They knew that despite her generally composed nature, she was actually a merciless and brutal assassin, having no qualms about making her victims suffer excruciating agony should the lord demand it. Not wanting to be mistaken for ignoring her, they saluted her as she passed, giving her the same amount of respect the other legions expect from them. What they didn't know is that she doesn't care whether the guards respected her or not so long as they didn't get in her way.

Approaching the main stairway, she skidded to stop to be informed by one of the lord's servants that he was expecting her at the audience hall. As she ascended the stairs, her ears perked up. Her sharp hearing picked up the sounds of fighting, training and the swishing of weapons. She waited outside the door to the audience hall, not wanting to interrupt her lord during his practice.

Ten minutes later, the sounds stopped. She looked around, wondering if she should knock, but she soon got her answer.

"You may enter, Cui Yan." A deep voice called out to her.

She pushed open the intricately carved door and looked for her lord. Noticing him standing near the window, she made her way across the hall to him. Her soft foot paws made no noise on the polished marble floor as she walked towards him, the equipments on her belt clinking softly from time to time. As she neared him, she felt the almost god like aura he emanated. His blood red eyes seem to glow slightly and they gave the impression of a cruel, cunning and intelligent person. He had lived for almost 400 years, the result of numerous dark ceremonies he performed by sacrificing his victims throughout the years. Although she had served him for almost 14 years, she still had to suppress a shudder every time she came into his presence.

Reaching him, she knelt down on one knee and bowed low.

"My lord, you wanted to see me?"

"I have a new job for you."

"What are your instructions my lord?"

"There is a certain businessman that is not falling in line with the recent set of rules that I've imposed. Apparently he has decided himself that such rules doesn't apply to him and chose not to hand in the required monthly 'gifts'. On top of that, he has been persuading others to follow his lead. I want you to put a stop to it. Torture him, then get rid of him. Display his body in the middle of the market square to send a message to the rest never to mess with me again."

"I understand. Where can I find this guy my lord?"

"He's an alligator, named Tang Zen."

She lifted her head in surprised.

"The blacksmith?"

"Any problems?"

"None my lord." She lowered her head and bit her lower lip nervously, then looked up at the warlord, her eyes silently begging for permission to ask another question.

He raised his eyebrow and prompted her to continue.

"Wasn't Tang Zen your friend?"

"That was until he decided to go against me. If there's one thing I hate the most, its betrayers."

"I understand my lord. Do you have any other instructions?"

"You have three days to complete the task."

"Yes my lord." She bowed low once more and stood to leave.

Just as she was about to reach the doorway, the warlord called out to her.

"Cui Yan"

She turned to face him.

"Yes my lord?"

"Remember what happened after your previous assignment?"

She winced internally. Her previous assignment had gone terribly wrong. She hesitated in assassinating her target, another panther like herself, but was a firework and gunpowder specialist who didn't agree to her lord's harsh rules on 'gifts'. He had decided to leave the village to find another which wouldn't have any such oppressive regulations. Her hesitation allowed him to escape and evade assassination. She managed to eliminate him eventually, but not before he had detonated several cases of gunpowder, causing havoc in the busy market square, resulting in injuries and massive losses to businesses there.

The resulting punishment the next three days was hell for her. She nearly lost her fingers in the torture clamp that the warlord had used on her paws. It had taken almost a month for the burn marks to fade from her fur, and an even longer time for the fractures to heal. She would do anything to avoid punishment again.

"I... remembered my lord." She replied, her voice wavering slightly.

He smiled at her, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was a smile that made him look demonic for a moment, sending chills down her spine.

"Good, don't disappointment me."

She bowed at him again, then exited the audience chamber trembling.

_Three days later_

"You can't do this."

They were in a small, but well furnished home. The two felines were arguing softly in the living room. The lithe black panther was pacing around the living room in anguish while a usually vivacious snow leopard sat in his chair in frustration, desperately trying to talk his best friend out of her rash decision.

"I don't have a choice Leo, I can't live with myself if I carry out his instructions again."

"If it's his instructions, then the question isn't about whether to do it, but how to do it."

"I won't hesitate to do it if its criminals or bullies, but Tang Zen? He's an upright citizen. I mean, our lord has been protecting the villages, the entire province, for a few hundred years, but he's now eliminating his citizens just to prove a point? I don't think it's acceptable. Furthermore, it's the third time. Third! I've already murdered two upright citizens who didn't deserve to die."

"That may be, but remember our jobs. We are his assassins, a part of his legions, and he is our lord. He was the one who took us in when we were young, trained us to be able to earn a living and gave us the chance to live life comfortably. We owe him our lives."

"That's why I've served him for the past fourteen years Leo, without complain, without comment. I agree that despite his iron fist and strict rules, he took care of us and treated us as his own. But still, this is going against all morals that I myself follow. I won't do it this time."

"But if you don't do it, he'll punish you again." He argued. "This time it'll be worse. You know how he feels about disobedience and failure. You were lucky that the only thing that you have left after his punishment six months ago was just some minor scars. I don't think he'll let you get away with it this time."

The black panther lowered her ears and slumped into the plush sofa. She curled her tail around herself and hugged her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Her whiskers seem to droop as she closed her jade green eyes wearily.

"I know." She replied with a sigh.

The two sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. The only thing that moved was the flickering flame of the half melted candle that sat on its cradle on the table.

"I'm scared Leo" The panther said softly. "Scared of what he'll do to me if I mess up again."

The snow leopard looked at his friend in shock. In the nine years he had known her, they had been in dangerous missions countless times, frequently having close brushes with death. They were unofficially in a relationship, having slept together and mating with each other many times. He was even the one who took her the first time she came into heat. They had confided in each other, both in terms of work related problems, or issues when working for their lord. They were even closer than a married couple. He had seen her at her most depressed, her most frustrated, and her most vulnerable moments. This was the first time however, where she had admitted she was scared.

Leo got up from where he was sitting and walked up to the black panther. She looked up at him from her crouched position and met his gaze, searching desperately for comfort in his azure blue irises. Finding none, she looked away in attempt to hide the tears that were threatening to slip from her jade green eyes.

Knowing the proud panther well, Leo pulled her into a standing position and hugged her tightly, knowing that she didn't like to be seen crying even by him sometimes. He felt her bury her face into the fur on his shoulder. She didn't sob or make any sound, but he knew she was silently crying judging from the dampness that was spreading on his shoulder. He rubbed her back soothingly, gently letting her know that he would be her emotional pillar till she was ready again.

After a few minutes, she pulled away from him. She didn't say anything, but gave him a small watery smile before wiping her eyes dry. Leo knew that that the most she was going to do, so he understood and let the matter pass. He stood in the corner and waited for her to regain her usual composure.

"I'll handle this job for you. When I'm done, you just let the lord know that you've followed his instructions. You won't need to stain your paws with his death."

"No."

"But the lord-"

"No."

"Cui Yan."

"I said No."

She turned to look at him.

"I've made my decision. Nothing you say will change my mind. I'm leaving as soon as I've finished packing."

She turned and headed towards her room. The sound of opening drawers and cupboards was soon heard as the black panther rummaged through her possessions, deciding on what to bring for the journey. When she was done almost ten minutes later, she found Leo still standing at the same position, deep in thought. She walked over to him, putting a finger on his cheek to snap him out of his trance. They shared another look into each other's eyes before Leo broke the silence.

"Where will you be going?"

"I'm don't know yet. I heard that Gongmen City is in need of protectors after Shen's uprising. I might be able to find work there."

The snow leopard sighed and turned away.

"Leo, this is the only way I can avoid the lord's wrath and survive. You know it."

"Yes, I know it too, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Maybe I should make a trip to the Valley of Peace. Talk to the Grandmaster and the Dragon Warrior. They may be able to help us."

"They won't interfere with our province unless there's concrete evidence that what he does threaten the whole of China. Our lord is smart, he has a few hundred years of intelligence ahead of us. He knows that if he pushes too hard, others will start to ask questions. There's no way we can get others to help."

They were both silent again for another as they both pondered on what he had just said.

Cui Yan adjusted the strap on the small back pack that she was bringing, then turned to the snow leopard again.

"Leo, can you promise me something?"

He turned to her and looked into her jade green eyes again.

"Yes?"

"Don't go after Tang Zen."

The snow leopard didn't respond. He knew that if he didn't agree, she would never leave. He also knew that if she didn't leave soon, she'll be caught by the lord as she had missed the deadline for the job. He struggled internally for another minute before he acquiesced with her request. He closed his eyes and sighed before replying.

"I promise."

His eyes shot open again when he felt a set of soft lips on his, kissing him gently. He began to kiss her back, parting his lips to allow her tongue in. His tongue met hers in a gentle yet loving dance as they tried to taste each other and express their love and care for each other one last time. As they broke apart a few minutes later, they remained in the embrace, not having said anything, but having communicated plenty about their feelings. They decided that it would be best to end things there and then.

"Take care of yourself Leo." She whispered to him.

She gave him another tight hug before pulling out of the embrace. Unable to meet his eyes, she walked out of the doorway and vanished into the darkness of night.

_Back To Current Day_

The injured panther woke up to a sharp pain in her chest and paw. She adjusted herself and tried to stand. The intense pain in the right foot reminded her that it was broken. Someone had removed the torture clamp, allowing her paw to swell to an abnormal size and her muscles screamed in agony from the exertion of the past few days. She wheezed with every shallow breath as her broken ribs pressed slightly into her lungs, causing her a dull sharp pain with every breath she took. The blood from her injuries had hardened and dried up, causing her fur to cake up into a hard crust all over her body. She was barely able to stand as the simple effort drained what limited energy she had.

The fire had burned out, leaving the room dark and chilly. The only source of light was from its glowing embers and the slightly opened door behind her. She shivered from the chill on her bare fur. Her attempt to stand earlier caused the dried blood to crack, resulting in a slow trickle of blood down her back and thigh.

It was almost ten minutes before she finally had enough energy for coherent thoughts. She thought about her current situation and how she was going to escape. Deep down, she knew that there was no way out. All that's left is how much more she had to endure until the lord was done torturing her. _Or should I say when he finally gets bored playing with me._ She thought gloomily. She looked around the dimly lit cave once more and shuddered. Somehow the location and way of dying bothered her more than death itself. _How I wish I could see the sky once more_.

After a while, the boar prison warden entered the chamber. He pushed in a cart laden with metal equipments and stopped in front of her. There was a perverted look in his eyes as he approached her. She bared her fangs and growled at him, remembering that he used to fear her. Apparently he wasn't intimidated as he leered at her and without warning, rammed three of his plump fingers into her vagina and began to finger her. She squirmed and struggled in pain as her pussy was being violated, whimpering slightly when he clawed her hard. He then pulled out his fingers and wiped them on her chest before walking out of the chamber, cackling like a mad man. She glared at his retreating silhouette as he left the room. _If I ever get out of here, I'll kill him._

Turning to the cart that was left in front of her, she began to study what was inside. _Oh god… No…_ She thought with dread as she recognized the equipments used for the lord's blood bath immortality ceremony. As one of the five legions, she knew the ceremony intimately, having administered it for her lord many times before. It was a process in which the victim would suffer almost six hours of excruciating pain before finally succumbing to the clutches of death, granting the lord augmented abilities from absorbing their talents and increased lifespan from consuming their life force. The thought of the amount of pain she would have to endure caused her to shiver in trepidation.

She heard voices outside the room and perked up her ears. It was a conversation between the prison warden and a new guy. A high ranking one based on the tone of respect the boar was using when addressing him.

"She's in there sir." The boar informed the visitor.

"Is she awake?" The visitor replied in a deep baritone.

"She is sir. You might want to have some fun with her. She was a legion too, until she betrayed the lord. All she is now is just a good looking girl that's being tied up. No way she can break free or struggle. You might as well have your fun before doing your job."

"We'll see. She might be more cooperative if she knows what I have in mind for her."

"Excellent idea sir. I wish you the best."

The door opened, admitting the visitor who had brought a lamp in with him before locking the door. Based on the shape of the shadow of the person who entered, he had a large build and was very muscular. Her nose twitched as she took in the familiar scent. She then gasped in shock when he walked into the light in front of her.

"Leo?" She rasped in disbelief.

"Hey."

"You're the one doing the prepping?"

"Nope, that's Shu Xian's job. You should have seen her when the lord told her to do it. It was as if new year had came early for her." He replied.

He shook his head slightly as he looked her over, noticing the wounds all over her back and her now swollen right paw.

"What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously.

"To get you out of course." He replied casually as he set his shoulder pack down and begin to unpack his tools and medical equipment.

"What about Shu Xian, will she be arriving anytime soon?"

"Nope, I had no choice but to dispose of her in bed."

"In bed?"

"She was hoping that since you've been condemned by the lord, she might stand a chance and tried to seduce me. Apparently she failed." He replied with a smirk.

"Won't anyone find out what happened?"

"Not really, you know how she is. She's always late. By the time they start to wonder where she is, we'll be out of the city."

"But why are you saving me? Won't you be in trouble as well when the lord finds out what's going on?"

"You know, for a captive prisoner, you seem to be strongly against the notion of being rescued." He said amusedly as he unlocked the shackles to her legs followed by those on her wrist, catching her at the last minute before she collapsed on the ground due to the exhaustion. He then laid her down on her left side gently, careful of the multitude of injuries all over her body and began tending to her wounds, starting with the simplest, her broken foot paw.

Placing two wooden planks, one on each side of her foot, he wrapped it tightly with rope, allowing her the use her foot sparingly if needed. He then held a piece of clean cloth in front of her muzzle.

"Bite it."

She stared at the piece of cloth wearily as if looking for traps.

"I need to clean up your back before bandaging it. It'll hurt and I don't want you to end up biting your lips or tongue because of it." He continued as he noticed that she was still suspicious of him. "Come on Cui Yan, we're almost mates, surely you trust that I won't hurt or betray you?"

She looked into his azure blue eyes before sighing and doing as he said.

He adjusted her till she was lying face down and knelt beside her. She stiffened and bit down hard on the cloth when the snow leopard dabbed disinfectant on her open wounds, causing them to burn and sting painfully when it seeped into the various rips and tears on her mutilated back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whimpered while trying to endure the agony of having her injuries patched up, flinching several times when his paw brushed against some of the larger wounds. Soon after, he wrapped a few rolls of bandage tightly around her mid flank, covering up her wounds and protecting them from exposure to the elements.

"Well, that's the best I can do I'm afraid." He told her as he fastened the end of the bandage to prevent it from loosening. "You'll have to wait for the doctor to look at the rest of your injuries. Your hand, your broken leg. Oh, you're bleeding from between your legs too you know?"

"That was because of that idiot boar out there." She panted when she had regained enough strength to talk.

"I see." He said, pausing before continuing. "Well, let's ignore him for now. We need to focus on getting you out."

He put a robe on her before retrieving a small leather water pouch from his bag. Helping her to a sitting position, he wiped her tears with his fingers, then supported her trembling body as he brought the pouch to her muzzle and helped her drink some water. Every gulp caused her chest to flare up in pain, but she gratefully drank every drop as it was the only sustenance she had in almost a week.

Leaving her to sit on the floor, he proceeded to assemble something which resembled a wooden backpack, but was actually a special saddle to carry her on his back while keeping his hands free as they escape the prison.

"Where are we heading to?" Asked the black panther.

"To Leng Dar Mountains." The snow leopard replied as he continued working away on the equipment that he was assembling. "I have some friends there. They're aware of our situation and have scouted a route out of the city. Their doctor will be able to tend to your injuries."

"Are they trustable?"

"Totally. If I need someone's help for my missions, they're usually the ones I call along if you aren't available."

"But why are you doing this? You're risking your own future, your life, their lives, just to do this? Is it really worth it?"

"For you, it is."

She stared at him in surprise, her mouth agape, at a total loss for words.

"But…. But…." She spluttered.

"Come on, it's time we leave this god forsaken place." He said, strapping on the special saddle and crouched down on all fours in front of her. "Climb on."

She snapped herself out of her daze and climbed on awkwardly, careful of her injured limbs, not wanting to aggravate them. She wrapped her remaining arm around his neck and held on tightly. He then stood up and adjusted the shoulder straps, causing the saddle to fold up, harnessing her into a piggy back position behind him.

Picking up his spear, he walked towards the metal door and unlocked it.

"Brace yourself" he said almost humorously before pushing it open and stepping outside. The two felines looked around as they exited the torture chamber. The warden's table was empty, as was the corridor leading towards to the stairs.

"Is it supposed to be this empty?" She whispered into his ear.

"Don't think so" He replied uneasily. Spear in his paws, he went into his battle stance and started walking cautiously towards and up the stairs, sweeping every shadow and dark corner for the prison warden or other prison guards. They had reached the main level of the prison and he knew that the exit was only a corridor away.

Cui Yan looked at another empty table that they had just passed. A sudden realization came to her as she recalled some of the procedures that the prison practices. _The only time where the prison guards would be missing from their posts would be when…._

"Stop right there Leo." A silky voice sailed through the air towards them. They had rounded the corridor and were faced with three lines of prison guards aiming crossbows at them. Behind the guards was the main prison entrance, a solid steel door 5 meters tall, 3 meters wide and almost half a meter thick. Between the guards and the door was a crow. He was another legion and was holding a 20 inch flamberge in his wing.

"I knew something was wrong when Shu Xian didn't turn up. I suspected that you'll be here to rescue your lover. Never did I expect that you'll actually betray our lord to do it."

"Well, there are some things in life that are worth fighting for. I don't see how you'll ever understand it. After all, your only form of enjoyment is rape and murder of innocents, you'll never get it." Spat the snow leopard.

"I see that you're irretrievably lost to the stupidity called love. Oh well, never mind. Everyone, fire. Don't let them escape." The crow commanded the prison guards.

Arrows rained down on their position as the Leo spun his spear in a circular motion as a shield to deflect the projectiles now coming at them from the front. He rushed towards the line of guards and impaled the first guard in the neck.

Blood spurted out of its throat as Leo pulled the pointed tip out and proceeded to attack the rest. He smashed 3 other guards and killed another 7 before the rest started scattering in attempt to avoid any part of his now bloody spear. The arrows have now all but ceased and the only danger was from the guards now surrounding them with blades and spears.

The crow now joined the fray as he swung his flamberge at Leo's face, only to miss as he pulled back to avoid it. The two traded blows, causing sparks to fly as the spear clashed on flamberge. They nearly matched each other in terms of skill and agility, with the snow leopard having a slight edge in terms of raw strength. The crow has better mobility however, being an avian, and he used it fully to his advantage. He avoided the spear once more and jumped high into the air before diving down towards the snow leopard with the sharp flamberge aimed at its head.

Leo anticipated this, and jumped backwards to avoid the crow. Catching his wing as he landed, Leo pressed it into the ground and stomped on it, snapping his wing cleanly in half before impaling his spear through the crow's body. The crow didn't even feel anything as his heart was punctured by the spear, killing him instantly.

A loud cry from the other guards and the end of the corridor alerted them to the impending danger and he decided to run. Pulling his spear out from the other side of the now fallen crow, he slammed two other guards in his path with it before doing a jump kick, smashing open the massive gate and escaping out of the prison.

He strapped the spear behind him, between Cui Yan and his back, before going down on all four paws to run at maximum speed. They had to traverse through the treacherous mountainous route as it was the only way in and out of prison. Cui Yan watched their surroundings for traps as Leo weaved in and out to dodge the arrows now raining down on them from the mountains around them. As they turned the corner, she saw a large boar aiming a gigantic crossbow at them. Her eyes widen when she recognized the prison warden who had violated her earlier, and that he had just pulled the trigger, firing a single huge arrow at them. She screamed at Leo to warn him, but it was too late. His focus was on preventing anything from hitting her, but by dodging the latest wave of arrows, he inadvertently ran right into the path of the massive arrow. He managed adjust the angle of his body at the last second so that the arrow missed her narrowly, but pierced through his stomach instead and landed on the side of the mountain.

Cui Yan saw the arrow hurl towards them, then felt Leo jerk sharply, but didn't gave it a second thought as she continued scanning the surrounding mountains. She'd assumed that he had avoided the large arrow as he had continued running. Soon, they were out of the prison perimeter and were heading deep into the woods. He was slowing down a lot and was wheezing badly. Each breath he took was labored as he struggled to keep going on. After a while, he collapsed on the ground, motionless save for the heaving of his chest.

She got up from the saddle to check on him. What she saw shocked her to the core as it was unimaginable that he was still alive till now. He had a massive hole in his stomach, bored through by the 4 inch wide arrow shot by prison warden. Blood was gushing down his once snowy white fur and his internal organs were starting to collapse into the pool of red on the floor. He was vomiting blood from his snout, and was convulsing slightly.

She sat down on the ground and cradled his head in her lap, aware that he was slowly weakening but was totally helpless to do anything.

"Leo, stay with me. Please, don't die. Leo!" She begged desperately.

He lifted his paw and cupped her cheek weakly, rubbing his thumb over her snout to shush her.

"Take him down." His voice barely a whisper. "Don't let anymore innocents suffer."

"I will…" She replied as she held on to the nearly limp paw on her cheek, tears leaking from her jade green irises.

The snow leopard looked at the weeping panther above him and smiled.

"I've always… loved you... but didn't… have… the chance to… tell you… Now that I… get to die… in your… arms… I have… no… regrets…" He rasped, his voice getting weaker and weaker. "Take… care of your… yourself… I'll be… waiting… for you…"

She caressed his face as the light faded from his azure blue eyes, tears now falling freely from her eyes. With a shaking finger, she closed his eyelids, forever shutting them from the rest of the world. As she sat there staring at his body, another wave of emotion hit her, causing more tears to cascade down her cheeks as she realized that she'll never see his trademark grin nor feel his embrace again.

Sobbing, she leant down slowly and placed a kiss on his rapidly cooling lips.

"I love you too… Leo…"

* * *

Well, there it is, chapter 2. Hope it answers some of the questions from chapter 1. We'll be seeing our heros from the Valley of Peace in the next chapter.

Stay tuned.

- Salunatic


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all, welcome to chapter 3. I'm sorry if it took so long. Quality control is important you know? =D

_I would like to thank the following:_

_M4dG4rl: You're full of help and advice. Thank you so much._

___DATsubasa: My wonderful crazy friend. _

___Miss Dolphin: For keeping me in good spirits when I'm stuck. _

___And all other silent readers, I hope to hear from you soon._

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

* * *

"Po, is it ready yet? My stomach is starting to eat itself already." Complained the green bug that was sitting on the table.

"Ha ha, I hope you shrink too, this way we won't need to see you anymore." Monkey added.

"Hey!" Mantis exclaimed, to general laughter around the table.

It was just another day in the Jade Palace and the six were in the pantry after a hard morning of training. The five were lounging on their seats, waiting for their chubby monochromed friend to finish cooking lunch. As usual, monkey, mantis and crane were chatting away, poking fun at each other and occasionally at Po as well while he made his famous noodle soup. The two remaining females were sitting silently, watching the banter between the other three. Tigress of course, would not say anything unless spoken to, and her replies were usually one word answers unless she was in the rare mood to talk.

Viper took in the cozy domestic scene with a warm feeling of contentment. They had formed a tightly knitted group after all the trials they had faced together. She remembered the day almost three and a half years ago when the black and white panda dropped from the sky into their lives. Sure, they were all skeptical and leery of him at first, but he had proved himself when he single handedly defeated Tai Lung when the five of them failed. He wasn't only just good in defeating enemies however. After defeating Tai Lung, everyone started warming up to him, slowly treating him more and more like part of the group. Almost everyone changed. Tigress was a little more communicative compared to before and Shifu wasn't so cold anymore. He even joins them for meals sometimes.

Six months back, they fought in Gongmen City against Lord Shen's army. The five had been in dangerous situations before, but that was the first time they were in real danger of losing their lives. They were all pushed to their limits, forcing even the usually guarded Tigress to show some vulnerability when they fought to defeat Lord Shen. Po had saved them all in the end, redirecting the cannonball from Shen's cannon back at him, causing the cannon to explode, destroying his warship and eventually ending the uprising. Now, they were all a part of an odd kind of family, with Po being the pillar of everything. It seemed that everyone will only be this close to each other only because of him.

Another round of laughter snapped her out of her reverie. She looked up to see the three guys slumped over the table, bawling with laughter as they tried to control themselves. She noticed that Tigress was silent as usual, but she seemed preoccupied. Usually it was difficult to read her body language, but being the observant serpent she was, she picked up many things that were so subtle, yet glaringly obvious to her. Tigress sat on her chair unmoving, her full attention on Po as he cooked. She was as still as a board with the tip of her tail twitching ever so slightly with every movement he made. Viper was about to comment on it when a piping hot bowl of noodles appeared in front of her.

"Order up!" Po announced as he placed the bowls in front of each of them.

"Finally…" Mantis sighed with relief.

"You know Po, we've been eating your noodles for a few years now, but you just won't get sick of it. It's truly delicious." Crane said as he drank from his bowl.

"Well, I learnt from the best." The panda chuckled as he too, dug in into his meal.

Nothing else was heard other than the clinking of porcelain and the slurping of noodles as the hungry and tired warriors concentrated on their meal.

After lunch, they went to the training hall to resume their afternoon training. Upon arrival, everyone headed to their favorite equipments with Po staying near the entrance to practice his inner peace stance. They were about to start when Shifu walked in with his staff. He motioned for them to stop whatever they're doing and come towards him. .

"Master" They six greeted in unison, fist in their other hand as they bowed.

"There will be no more training today. All of you will follow me to the village. There is a matter that we must attend to."

"What happened master?" Viper asked.

"I've just received a message from the chief healer from the valley hospital. He's requesting urgent assistance."

"Is it bandits? Robbers? We haven't had anyone to fight recently. I wanna kick some butt today." Po interrupted eagerly,

"Calm down Dragon Warrior, I'm sure there aren't any attacks at the moment. If there is, we wouldn't be standing around here chatting."

"Oh…"

Without replying, Shifu turned and walked off. The six exchanged a glace before following their master to the village.

A mature looking antelope greeted them upon arrival at the village hospital. He ushered them to his office and locked the door before gesturing them to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Thank you for coming on such a short notice, Grandmaster, Dragon Warrior, Furious Five." He said as he took his seat.

Shifu nodded and leant his staff against the wall.

"You sounded worried in the message. What's the issue?"

"Well…" The healer hesitated. "It's not exactly an issue, but more of something that is so out of ordinary, I think you should look into it."

"Okay… How out of ordinary is it?"

"We had a patient yesterday, but she's kind of not from around here."

Shifu eyebrows narrowed. "That is all?" he said in disbelief.

"Of course not. I know we do have external visitors from time to time, but something about her is just… different."

"Different?"

"Yes. She staggered into the emergency room last night, her leg almost crushed and dripping blood everywhere. She claimed that she was attacked by bandits and was saved by someone. She managed to bandage up some of her wounds, but they were so soaked with blood, when I removed them later, I could literally wring them like a rag. She fell unconscious as I was patching and cleaning up her wounds."

Tigress looked at the antelope suspiciously. "I still don't get it. Even if it's an extremely wounded patient, why summon us?"

He smiled at her before replying. "She lied about her injuries. They were not fight wounds as she claimed. I checked her all over when as I was tending to her wounds. My guess was that she managed to escape after being tortured badly by someone and is currently trying to keep a low profile. Why else would she lie? On top of that, any normal person won't arrive in a city as heavily armed as her."

Taking in their still skeptical expression, he shook his head, and added. "What worries me most is, if she knows how to use half of what she had with her, which I'm sure she does, she might possibly more dangerous than even Tai Lung himself."

That finally sunk in with the seven warriors who just sat there with their jaws open.

The chief healer chuckled as he stood up. "Come on, I'll take you all to see her. She should be awake by now. I need to check on her anyway."

As the seven warriors walked in to the ward minutes later, they saw a jet black panther sitting up on her bed, slowly drink a bowl of soup with her left paw. She wore a loosely fitting snow white hospital gown that barely covered her bandaged body, her leg was wrapped up in a cast and her right paw was swollen badly and still bleeding through the medicated dressing. There was a curved dagger on the bed beside her and an intricately forged metal spear with gold tip and dark blue handles leaning on the wall. On the floor beside the spear was a small blood soaked shoulder pack with the handle of numerous throwing knives protruding from its opening.

The black panther looked up from her meal when she heard them, staying silent as they filed into the ward. She glanced at each of them briefly before resting her gaze at Po, making him shuffle his feet nervously as her gaze bore into him.

"How are you feeling Cui Yan?" The antelope asked as he flipped through a file that was hung at the end of her bed.

"The pain is still there, but at least its bearable now." The black panther replied emotionlessly, her voice seem to hover in the air even after she stopped talking.

"That's good, what you need the most now is rest." He turned and gestured. "This is the Grandmaster of the valley, the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. I'll leave you all to talk."

As soon as he stepped out, the impatient panda broke the silence.

"Hi, I'm Po, the dra—"

"I know who you are, Dragon Warrior." Cui Yan interrupted, her voice cold and composed.

"You do?" He asked excitedly.

She smiled a little at his enthusiasm. "Of course, your talents are legendary. The whole of China knows about how you defeated Tai Lung and how you stopped Shen all by yourself when the Furious Five failed."

"Well, I had help…" he trailed off, flattered by her praise.

Tigress however, was offended. She glared at the black panther, anger clear in her eyes. The other four were also glowering to various degrees.

Cui Yan raised an eyebrow at the change in expression from the five. "Look, I'm not trying to insult the rest of you. I'm just stating what I've heard so far. If there's anything that I should know that will change those facts, by all means tell me."

The striped feline growled at her darker counterpart, but otherwise said nothing.

"You weren't there. Many other things happened then which you don't know." Viper said quietly.

"I've been in fights before, so I know that even a minor slip or mistake can cause a big difference to the outcome."

"Then you of all people should know that stories being told are often different from what actually happened."

A look of sadness appeared briefly in the panther's eyes before she regained her usual composure. "You wouldn't think so as a spectator, but I see what you mean." She conceded.

Viper nodded at her. Sure, she was still far from liking her, but she was no longer angry at her. She knew that the black feline was similar to Tigress in many ways, namely in their pride and stubbornness, and that the admission of her point was as much of an apology she was going to get.

Shifu took the opportunity of the awkward silence to address the panther.

"Miss Cui Yan, please tell us why you are here."

"It's a long story Grandmaster, but to put it simply, I need your help." She replied politely.

"What for?"

"To save the citizens of my province, and possibly the rest of China too."

"Where are you from? And how is China related to what's going on in your province?"

She took a deep breath before explaining.

"Well, I'm from Bai Chao Province. The lord that controls it is a powerful person. His hobby is to find ways to constantly increase his power and control. He demands tributes from his citizens and frequently threatens them with punishment if they do not follow his word and law. He rules with harshly with an iron fist, but at least he takes care of his citizens, making sure that no one lives in poverty as long as they are hardworking. Life was generally tough, but still bearable most of the time. Recently, he's changed. He started talking about invading and extending his control over neighboring villages, demanding more tributes from the citizens, torturing and murdering them publicly when they do not comply. Things are turning very sinister there."

"Bao Chao Province? The reclusive village 800 Li north of the beginning of Yangtze River?" Po asked.

"Yes."

"Woah… That's really far, more than twice the distance to Gongmen City. How long did you take to reach here?"

"Almost two weeks. I would have gotten here sooner if not for my injuries."

"You're packing some serious equipment." Shifu stated as he eyed the dagger beside her. "I take it that you are a fighter as well?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a fighter. I'm more into stealth and infiltration."

"In other words, you're a murderer." Mantis accused.

She growled at the green bug before answering. "I would prefer the term assassin if you please. Everyone that I've ever killed was either a crook or bully who deserved it. On top of that, try working for a lord or master where failure to complete your task means torture or death. I'd like to see you go through what I did and still be pure and innocent."

"Since that's the case, why revolt? Or rather, why revolt now?" Crane asked.

"His instructions are getting more and more atrocious. I may serve him, but even I can't stand by and watch him kill innocent citizens." She sighed. "The most recent task that I was given was to kill a black smith in the village. He was a law abiding citizen, a good and innocent person. The lord wanted me to get rid of him because he didn't want to offer tributes anymore. I didn't want to do it, so I decided to leave."

"And just because of that task, you decided to revolt? Isn't it a little too much?"

"Its not too much, considering that it was the third time he wanted me to kill an innocent citizen. Furthermore, the black smith was his long time friend of a few decades and that the lord wanted me to torture him to death in public."

"I see." Shifu replied. "And after that, you decided to come here? How did you get injured?"

"The lord's other fighters ambushed me as I was escaping. He tortured me for quite a while, before deciding to kill me. I initially intended to head to Gongmen City to find work, but after being rescued by a close friend, I thought that it'll be safer for me here."

"You should know, we don't usually go across the country just on one person's word, furthermore its regarding a place that we know practically nothing about." Shifu said skeptically.

"Master, she's already being beaten up so badly, and her injuries are the proof, how can we doubt her?" Po interrupted. "We do have a duty to protect China, so how can we just leave it like this?"

"I'm not doubting her. What I'm doubtful of is the place where she's from." Shifu turned towards the feline on the bed. "You look exhausted. Get more rest, we'll discuss more again soon."

"But Grandmaster, if you don't help our province, the rest of China might–"

Shifu put up his palm to stop her from talking. "I'm not saying that we won't help you. We just need some time to think about it and to find out more information before giving you a definite answer. For now, I want you to rest. If we need more information, we'll consult you again."

"I really think we should start packing for the long journey." The black/white panda continued impatiently. "If we hurry, we can-"

"Po, they've already waited for years before anyone got out of there, I'm sure a day or two won't make any difference." He snapped.

Po looked down, chastised, mumbling "If you say so..." to himself.

"Have a good rest." Shifu said to the panther before turning to leave. The five were the next to exit, followed last by their large friend.

The sun was beginning to set when they finally started climbing up the Thousand Steps up to the Jade Palace. As usual, Shifu would in the front, leading them throughout the journey. Monkey, Mantis and Crane were in the middle, chatting and joking away about the panther they had just met. The two remaining females brought up the rear, with Viper slightly behind to make sure everyone was together. Po wasn't with them as he had been granted permission to visit his dad before going back.

As they continued climbing, Viper noticed that Tigress kept looking back from time to time, gazing wistfully at the village every time she did. When she did so again, Viper stopped and followed her gaze, realizing that the striped feline was staring at the noodle shop where Po grew up. _Is she looking out for bandits in the area?_ The serpent wondered. _Or is she just trying to get a glimpse of Po?_ Deciding to find out, she tried asking her sister.

"Erm, Tigress, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"Are you okay? You seemed a little off ever since you left the hospital."

"I'm fine." Tigress replied curtly before turning around and continuing the climb.

Viper shook her head and sighed internally. Tigress may have changed, being less aloof and slightly more vocal compared to before Po arrived, but she was still as obstinate as ever. The black panther's comment earlier about The Furious Five's incompetence in Gongmen City had ruffled them, but Viper knew that whatever was bothering the tiger was something else. She also knew that Tigress wouldn't talk when she didn't want to, choosing either to give one word answers to end the conversation or to ignore the person altogether.

_Po seems to be the only one who can make her open up._ Viper thought amusedly. Giving the noodle shop a final glance, she turned and hurried to catch up with her fellow comrades, mentally making a note to talk to him about it later.

Unknown to all of them, the large panda was nowhere near the noodle shop. In fact, no one knew where he went after separating from the party at the hospital entrance.

_2600 Li Away_

Night has fallen upon Bai Chao Province. Due to the curfew that was implemented two weeks ago, no one was allowed on the streets after sunset. The moon shone brightly in the sky, bathing the empty city streets with an ominous glow.

In the east of the province where the Lord's fortress stood, light was seen only from a single room on the fourth and highest floor of the fortress. This room was the warlord's private chamber which served as both a bedroom and a study. It was decorated with a number of artifacts, battle equipments and certain unique items that were mementos of specific tasks and missions that the lord himself kept. At the current moment, the table lamp was the only source of light in the room, illuminating the study area in a dim flickering light.

A recently injured but now recovering lioness stood in the study, clothed in a dark maroon battle robe that hid the large number of bandages that wrapped round her wounded body. She was in the midst of giving her report on the progress of her mission to an increasingly angry rhino who was pacing in the darkness.

"So you're telling me that on top of losing three Legions at one go, having my prisoner broken out of my highest security chamber and am now stuck with finding someone to gather my army, I still have to deal with another group of fighters who had helped them out of the province and may potentially cause me trouble in future?"

"Yes my lord." The lioness replied timidly.

The rhino blew through his nostrils in frustration as he continued pacing.

"Where are they now?"

"I followed their tracks and found Leo's body right outside the prison perimeter. He died from excessive blood loss from a wound that looked like it was caused by a bolt launcher."

"And Cui Yan?"

"I… lost her scent after following it for almost 150 Li." She admitted, bowing her head in shame.

"Tell me Shu Xian, why is it that my fighters are always those with either unwavering loyalty but limited capabilities or those with almost no loyalty but superior capabilities?" He stated angrily as he walked out of the shadows.

She was about to reply when she noticed the fury in the lord's blood red irises and stepped back in fear.

"My lord…"

He continued closing the gap, stopping only when she was pressed against the wall. Stepping on her tail, he caused her to wince in both pain and fear as he brought his face to within inches of hers, cutting off all means of escape.

"You know, I can forgive you for your blunder with Leo, partly because you were in heat and it was a mistake to put you alone with him, partly because no one expected him to betray me so suddenly. But this?"

He placed his hoof onto her right waist, the same spot where she was stabbed almost fatally recently and pressed hard, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from her snout.

"Do you know why am I doing this?" He hissed vehemently, staring deep into her eyes to make sure she was listening.

She nodded weakly, not saying anything as she panted and clenched her jaws in attempt to endure the pain. Knowing her lord well, she knew that all she can do is to hope that he'll have mercy on her and reduce the amount of punishment he intended to inflict on her.

He smiled cruelly at her before pressing a sharp claw into her old wound, cutting through her robe and tearing open both the bandage and the stitches. The laceration resulted in a stream of blood flow down her thigh, dyeing certain parts of her robe with a different shade of scarlet.

"My lord… Please…" She whimpered and cried softly in pain as the rhino increased the pressure and pressed his claw deeper into her, coating his finger and hand with her blood.

After another ten seconds, he removed the claw from her waist and transferred it to the soft flesh right above her throat. Pressing it slightly, he forced her head up, exposing the sensitive skin even more. She froze in fear, afraid that any slight struggle might anger the lord till the point where he might just slit her throat.

"I have new instructions for you." He breathed into her right ear, making her shiver. "Firstly, I want you to find Cui Yan. I don't care how you do it so long as you find her. Report back to me immediately once you have her location. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes." She gasped breathlessly, desperately needing air, but not wanting to move and have her throat stabbed in the process.

"Good. Secondly, its time you find me another meal since it was partly your fault for making me miss my previous one."

Knowing that she didn't get what he was trying to tell her, he released her throat and stepped back to watch her. She crumpled onto the floor clutching her wound, panting hard to regain her breath. As he cleaned his claws, he gestured to the wall behind her.

She looked at it for a moment before recognizing the wall where her lord hung the tails of every single victim he'd ever sacrificed.

Her eyes widen in understanding as she pieced it together and realized what he had meant when he said 'meal'. She looked up to the lord for confirmation.

He nodded at her. "The usual criteria will do."

"I understand."

He continued glaring at her for another minute.

"If you do well and impress me, I'll heal your wrist and internal injuries."

"Thank you for your kindness my lord." She said from her crouched position on the floor.

He knelt down in front of her. "But if you fail in either of the task."

He picked up her tail, causing her to flinch once more as he stroked it in front of her. "I'll make sure that I remember you as one of my most loyal Legions." He finished with a sinister smile.

Understanding what her lord was implying, she hastened to assure him.

"I won't fail you this time."

The lord stood up and walked away without a second glance at her.

"Good, you're bleeding all over my floor. Clean it up and get out."

* * *

How was it? Good? Bad? Do let me know. Even one word reviews are appreciated. =P

Seriously, this is only my third chapter. If anyone has any advice or comment, don't hesitate to to pm me. I won't know how to improve otherwise.

Stay Tuned.

-Salunatic


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